the occasion. She smiled winsomely,--Carol was nearly always
winsome.

"How do you do?" she said brightly. "Isn't it a lovely day? Did you
call me, Prudence?"

"Yes. Do you know where the bottom of that chair has gone?"

"Why, no, Prudence--gracious! That chair!--Why, I didn't know you were
going to bring that chair in here--Why,--oh, I am so sorry! Why in the
world didn't you tell us beforehand?"

Some of the Ladies smiled. Others lifted their brows and shoulders in
a mildly suggestive way, that Prudence, after nineteen years in the
parsonage, had learned to know and dread.

"And where is the chair-bottom now?" she inquired. "And why did you
take it?"

"Why we wanted to make----"

"You and Lark?"

"Well, yes,--but it was really all my fault, you know. We wanted to
make a seat up high in the peach tree, and we couldn't find a board the
right shape. So she discovered--I mean, I did--that by pulling out two
tiny nails we could get the bottom off the chair, and it was just fine.
It's a perfectly adorable seat," brightening, but sobering again as she
realized the gravity of the occasion. "And we put the cushion in the
chair so that it wouldn't be noticed. We never use that chair, you
know, and we didn't think of your needing it to-day. We put it away
back in the cold corner of the sitting--er, living-room where no one
ever sits. I'm so sorry about it."

Carol was really quite crushed, but true to her parsonage training, she
struggled valiantly and presently brought forth a crumpled and sickly
smile.

But Prudence smiled at her kindly. "That wasn't very naughty, Carol,"
she said frankly. "It's true that we seldom use that chair. And we
ought to have looked." She glanced reproachfully at Fairy. "It is
strange that in dusting it, Fairy--but never mind. You may go now,
Carol. It is all right."

Then she apologized gently to the Ladies, and the conversation went on,
but Prudence was uncomfortably conscious of keen and quizzical eyes
turned her way. Evidently they thought she was too lenient.

"Well, it wasn't very naughty," she thought wretchedly. "How can I
pretend it was terribly bad, when I feel in my heart that it wasn't!"

Before long, the meeting was called to order, and the secretary
instructed to read the minutes.

"Oh," fluttered Miss Carr excitedly, "I forgot to bring the book. I
haven't been secretary very long, you know."

"Only six months," interrupted Mrs. Adams tartly.